(Editor's note: I originally published this article in January of 2014, but much, if not all, of the info contained here-in is still very relevant.)

The powers-that-be seek control over code. They aim to control our language (lingual code), our laws (legal code), our technology (source code), and, more recently, even our genome (biological code). Why they do so is a fascinating, but complex, topic, that is outside the scope of this blog, however, I would like to talk a little about...

The idea behind free software is that the owners and users of computing devices (computers, printers, smartphones, etc.) should be free to do what they wish with the devices they buy, and that device vendors should not be able to place limits on the use of devices or otherwise dictate to owners how to use those devices. However, in order to maintain control over their devices, owners need access to the source code of the software that runs (or runs on) the device. Enter free software.
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